A stampede at the Kumbh Mela festival in Prayagraj, India, occurred when tens of thousands of people gathered on the banks of the Ganges River, leaving many people injured, Deutsche Welle reported.
The AP reported that the stampede occurred in the early morning of January 29, injuring dozens of people. The cause of the stampede is not yet clear. According to local authorities, the injured have been taken to the hospital.
The Kumbh Mela festival is celebrated over a period of 45 days and January 29 is Mauni Amavasya - the last new moon night before the Mahashivratri festival.
This is also the busiest day of the Kumbh Mela festival as devotees believe that taking a dip in the holy river on this day will bring them blessings from their ancestors.
The Uttar Pradesh state government expects 100 million devotees to attend the festival on Mauni Amavasya day, officials informed at a press conference in early January.
The Kumbh Mela is the world's largest religious festival, where devotees gather at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers. The festival takes place every 12 years.
The Kumbh Mela festival begins on January 13, 2025. Organizers expect about 400 million people, more than the population of the United States, to flock to the northern city of Prayagraj between January 13 and February 26 alone.
